New era for Eagles begins Monday against Washington

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly walks on the field during a joint workout with the New England Patriots at NFL football training camp in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Eagles want to run plays at a blinding pace. Ideally that will prevent the Redskins from substituting and in turn create mismatches and promote fatigue, leading to mistakes and big plays.

Most plays start with Eagles quarterback Michael Vick looking over the defense and handing or faking the ball to running back LeSean McCoy. Vick also can keep it or throw it to McCoy, DeSean Jackson or one of the tight ends featured in the heavy packages.

“A lot of teams really don’t know what to expect,” Jackson said. “Regardless of what we’ve done in the preseason I still think there’s still a lot of plays that have been hidden that we haven’t even run. There’s versatility in this offense to the utmost I think to keep the defense off guard.”

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Look for Eagles to run options, reverses and the double-stack, one of Kelly’s favorite formations in the red zone. Picture two receivers lining up behind tight ends with all of them split wide.

There’s also the Kelly triple-stack, with just three linemen in front of the quarterback and one lineman split out wide on both sides of the ball next to the guys in the double-stack. Crazy, right?

It’s up to Vick to make it work.

“I feel like I control everything,” Vick said. “The head controls the body. And each and every day I go out there and I feel like I’m in control and I just want to take this offense and own it. And I’m still learning every day. There’s things sometimes I don’t do as well but I correct them. My motto is to never make the same mistake twice and I think I’m doing a good job of that. But things are going to continue to happen. I’ve just got to continue to deal with them.”

The Redskins are coming off a 10-6 season in which Robert Griffin III emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in football. Griffin completed 65.6 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns, just five interceptions and a 102.4 rating. He says his knee is 100 percent after surgery to repair a couple of ligaments and, far from picking up where he left off, is ready to take the game to another level.

“Winning seven in a row to close out the season really showed the character of our team,” Griffin said. “The team feels more confident. It’s not a false confidence. We know if we go out and we execute that we can play with anybody — and not just play with them, we can go out and win the game. I think the team just has a better resolve, a better mindset because we’ve been through the heat together and a lot of the same guys are back.”

Look for the Eagles and the Redskins to establish the run as the backs and the offensive lines are strengths for both squads.

The Eagles have upgraded their special teams, and that could take pressure off a defense that will play the 3-4, the 4-3 and variations thereof.

The Redskins have a defensive package with six linebackers to rush Vick but probably not win any battles against the big bodies on the Philly offensive line. McCoy wasn’t kidding when he said getting a healthy Jason Peters back on the field in this offense will net him 700 more rushing yards.

“It’s always an advantage when an opponent doesn’t know anything about your offense,” McCoy said. “Or only what they heard. They heard that it’s a fast pace. In the preseason they saw it a little bit. But everybody knows you don’t show everything in preseason. So I definitely think it will be a surprise … and an advantage because they don’t know. Everybody is wondering what the Philadelphia Eagles look like, how they’re going to be, what they’re going to do? How’s Michael Vick? How’s the new coach? Nobody knows. We know. So we’ll find out.”